Fiber Composition and Origin in the Digital Product Passport

Why fiber composition is not a nice-to-have field

For product‑data and sourcing teams, fiber composition is the single most verifiable attribute that links a garment to the European Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR). The regulation (EU) 2024/1781, signed into law in July 2024 and already in force, obliges every fashion product placed on the EU market to carry a Digital Product Passport (DPP). The DPP is the legal “source of truth” for downstream actors – customs, retailers, consumers, and recyclers. Without a reliable record of which fibers are present in each SKU, a brand cannot demonstrate compliance with the core DPP fields defined in Articles 9‑11 of the regulation. In practice, missing or ambiguous fiber data leads to rejected customs entries, delayed market entry, and costly retro‑fits. Therefore, capturing accurate fiber composition at the SKU level is a prerequisite for any ESPR‑ready DPP strategy.

What Art. 9‑11 already says about material composition

Articles 9‑11 of Regulation 2024/1781 outline the mandatory content of the DPP. Among the core fields, “material composition” is explicitly required. The regulation demands that each product’s DPP list every fiber type, the percentage share, and the origin of each fiber. This information must be presented in a structured, machine‑readable format so that it can be linked to other DPP elements such as manufacturer details, repair and reuse instructions, recyclability, and the environmental‑footprint data. The law does not leave room for optional or “nice‑to‑have” entries – the fiber composition field is a legal obligation for every product covered by the ESPR.

Origin vs. full supply‑chain maps (what is still unspecified)

While the regulation requires the origin of each fiber, it does not yet prescribe a complete, granular supply‑chain map for textiles. The forthcoming textile and footwear delegated act, expected in late 2027, will clarify the depth of traceability needed (e.g., farm‑level versus country‑level data). Until then, brands must record the best‑available origin information – typically the country of harvest or the first processing step – and be prepared to expand that data when the delegated act is published. This gap means that current DPP implementations can focus on capturing verified origin statements without over‑engineering a full tier‑by‑tier map that the law does not yet demand.

Collecting SKU‑level fiber data before late 2027

Preparing for the 2027‑2028 mandatory compliance window starts today. Product‑data teams should adopt a SKU‑centric approach: each stock‑keeping unit must have a dedicated record that lists every fiber (e.g., 80 % cotton, 15 % polyester, 5 % elastane) together with the documented origin for each component. Sources for this data include internal product‑development specifications, supplier declarations of conformity, and third‑party textile‑testing reports. To ensure data quality, establish a validation workflow that cross‑checks supplier‑provided percentages against laboratory results and flags any mismatches before the information is loaded into the DPP system.

Linking composition to a per‑product data carrier

The DPP must be accessible through a compliant data carrier attached to the physical product. The regulation accepts ISO/IEC 15459‑compliant unique identifiers, and a QR code is the most widely used carrier in the fashion sector. Once the fiber composition (and the other mandatory fields) are stored in a structured format, the system generates a unique identifier that complies with ISO/IEC 15459. That identifier is then encoded in a QR code printed on the label, hangtag, or packaging. Scanning the QR code provides instant access to the full DPP, including the verified composition and origin details, fulfilling the ESPR requirement for transparent product information.

How KadmilOS fits in

KadmilOS streamlines every step described above. Its API endpoint POST /api/v1/dpp accepts the structured product data that sourcing teams compile – fiber type, percentage, and origin – and returns a complete DPP record together with a compliant data‑carrier URL. The returned URL points to an ISO/IEC 15459‑compliant unique identifier, which can be rendered as a QR code for on‑product labeling. By using KadmilOS, brands eliminate manual data‑mapping errors, ensure that the DPP meets the exact specifications of Articles 9‑11, and stay ready for the textile delegated act that will arrive in late 2027. The platform also stores manufacturer information, repair/reuse instructions, recyclability status, and environmental‑footprint data, creating a single source of truth that can be updated as supply‑chain transparency requirements evolve.

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